1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein relates to a game device and more specifically to a game device comprising a tethered object and a target.
2. Overview of Prior Art
It has been long accepted that hand to eye coordination is developed by the process of taxing the muscular and nervous systems directly involved by performing relatively challenging physical acts. Games involving throwing or casting an object at a target is a prime example of such a task. The process of using a ball on a tether has been done on numerous occasions the primary variation being the reward process of hitting the target.
Duggan disclosed a hand held paddle device with a tethered ball and a target comprising a netted hole in the center of the paddle, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,307. The device utilizes a pair of such devices, one player casting the tethered ball into the others hand held target. The difficulty level is somewhat high due to the high coordination skill level of the players that would be necessary in order to score points. Playing any game without successful results by the players is of little value because the players soon tire of the activity.
This issue was addressed by Palmieri in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,083 with marginal success. This disclosure shows a tethered ball attached to a handle with a circular section removed therefrom and providing an accessible path of travel for the ball to traverse there through upon swinging the ball from its suspended tether. The ease of performing the task with a simple movement of very little muscular stimulation also makes the device of marginal stimulation at best. In this case the device is to easy and therefore the rewards of successfully performing the task are minimal.
May, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,715 came up with a novel game in that two players support and manipulate a suspended, tethered ball via waist belts. For this hip action is used to manipulate the ball instead of upper limb movement. The inability of a single player to play or even practice the game, the limited dexterity of the human midsection and the relative lack of productive use in developing such dexterity., as compared to that of the upper limbs, make this a less than desirable game.
Board games have a long standing reputation of popularity with people of various backgrounds. "POG's" have of late become popular with the younger generation. Respicio, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,113 reveals a POG board game utilizing flat, cylindrical shaped disks (POG's) that are hit with a heavier disk, the object being to flip over some or all of the stack of POG's. This also becomes less than challenging as a physical activity, at least partially because the skill level is minimal in that only a few muscle groups are used to physically perform the task. The desire of the game has turned toward collecting POG's with a variety of designs on them, instead of the playing of the game.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,748 Krutsch disclosed a device that utilizes an electromagnet to lift a metal ball. This device is used in relation to a game such as a pinball machine. The device rides on a track and does not lend itself to be used independently away from the machine.
A magnet on a tether device that picks up objects capable of being attracted to the magnet is disclosed by Rogers, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,075. This is a fishing game which utilizes a crane-like device to suspend the magnet and lower it into a section of the game frame where the "fish" are concealed. This device adds the reward of retrieving objects by operating a tethered object, thus creating a challenge, but minimal skill and physical stimulation is necessary since the operation of the device is limited to the placement of the "crane" and rotating the spool on which the crane's tether is attached.